Could Be Anything
by mincepie
Summary: Meredith and Derek meet by chance, several times. A different version of how they meet and how they grow as a couple when faced with different challenges throughout their lives.
1. Staring

**Ok… I've had this posted on the Fanfic forum for some time now, and so I'm going to post this over here in the hopes that it will attract a few more readers… it's getting quite long, so there will be plenty of updates.**

'But I just wanted to tell you that…' she began.

'…Not now, Meredith,' interrupted the harsh voice of Ellis Grey. 'I'm working, and I've told you a thousand times not to bother me at the hospital.'

Meredith sighed and watched as her mother brusquely placed a pile of charts on the desk in front of her, startling the nurse sitting behind it. She then walked off in the opposite direction to where her daughter was standing towards the OR, leaving Meredith alone.

'…I got into Dartmouth,' she finished quietly, to nobody in particular. Meredith walked over to a row of seats and slumped herself down, pulling out the letter she had received from the college she had been desperate to get into. She re-read the letter's acceptance speech for what seemed like the hundredth time, a small smile gracing her delicate face, before folding it back up and sliding it back into her bag.

Giving up on her mother, who she presumed was probably already elbow-deep in some chest cavity or other, Meredith stood up and headed towards the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor. The doors swung open and she stepped into the empty elevator and chose her destination. Coming to a halt on the second floor, the doors of the elevator slid open and glancing up, Meredith noticed a young doctor step in.

'Hi,' he said politely, with a slight smile. Meredith didn't reply, but did return the smile. As the doors closed, she found herself looking up at the handsome stranger, who by now had pulled out his phone and started texting.

He felt her eyes on him but didn't return her gaze and continued to focus on the small screen in front of him. 'You know,' he began, flipping his phone shut and slipping it back into his pocket, finally looking back at her and smiling as she looked away, blushing, 'it's rude to stare.'

'I wasn't staring,' Meredith retorted indignantly.

'Was too.'

'Was not.'

He laughed and turned to face her. She looked up at him with a scowl and her angry features caused him to smile. Tilting his head slightly, he looked down at her, prompting her face to soften. 'Ok then, you weren't staring,' he said softly.

Meredith smirked triumphantly, shifting her bag on her shoulder as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open on the ground floor. She stepped out, glancing quickly back as the doors began to close again. It was then that she noticed them. His eyes. They were as blue as the sky and as deep as the ocean, and they sparkled. Meredith held his gaze for a moment, until the doors closed completely. She turned and walked towards the entrance, laughing slightly and shaking her head in disbelief at her elevator encounter.

'Ok, you were definitely staring that time,' came a voice from across the foyer. Meredith whipped round to see the blue-eyed doctor standing in the doorway of the open elevator. She grinned widely at his comment.

'Was not,' she replied, raising an eyebrow, but still smiling before turning once again to leave the hospital.


	2. Christmas Excitement

It had been several months since Meredith had received her life-changing letter and met the handsome stranger in the elevator. She wasn't stupid, she knew he was only just young enough to be a doctor, which meant he was an intern and therefore, Meredith knew not to question her mother about him. For several weeks after, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him – 'him with the perfect hair' as she liked to nickname him. Meredith hadn't mentioned him to her friends either. She knew they'd tease her – after all, Meredith didn't 'do' boyfriends. She just did boys, and anyway, she didn't even know his name.

She'd avoided the hospital too, not because of him, but because of her mother, the one person she seemed to be spending less and less time with. Not that it was a problem for either one of them. Besides, she was now at college – Dartmouth – her dream college and she wasn't going to let anyone, least of all her mother, stand in the way of her career.

Meredith had only been at Dartmouth for a couple months, and already she loved the party scene, the student life and the atmosphere in general. She studied hard, partied harder and had a wide circle of friends. And then there was Justin. They were friends too, and they got on extremely well, but he liked to call their relationship 'friends with benefits'. Or 'no strings attached' as Meredith would say when talking to her other friends. Meredith and her roommates were excited about Christmas. Not just because it was Christmas, because then Meredith would have nothing to be excited about, but because she, Meredith Grey, was going to New York City.

It was going to be a blast, she'd said as classmates and friends groaned in jealousy. And it would, as long as all of her papers were done before she went.

Meredith was sitting at the wooden desk in her room, her face deep in a chemistry textbook when the door suddenly burst open. She looked up from the book to see the excited face of her friend Carrie, who lived just down the hall from her.

'NYC in three days!' she practically screamed. Meredith rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance at the sudden intrusion before her face broke into a huge smile.

'I know!' she said, her voice a higher pitch than usual. Carrie closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed, before flicking through the dog-eared brochure that she'd bought in with her. Meredith stood up from the desk and sat down on the bed beside her friend, glancing over to the colourful booklet that was highlighting all of the landmarks that New York had to offer.

'We _have_ to go to the Statue of Liberty,' mused Carrie, 'and the Empire State Building.'

'Of course,' agreed Meredith, her voice calmer now, 'but I'm not going anywhere unless this paper is handed in.'

'Fine! You know what, I can take a hint,' Carrie stated, pretending that her feelings were hurt. They laughed together as Carrie made her way towards the door. 'That paper had better be finished, because I'm dragging your sorry butt to New York whether it's done or not!'

Meredith closed the door behind her friend and returned to her chemistry book. Her mind raced with images of New York, and she finally gave up on her paper, promising herself that she would do it tomorrow. With that, she pulled out her suitcase from under the bed and began packing for her trip, the one that would change her life forever. Not that she knew it right now, of course.


	3. New York, New York

'This is the life!' Carrie cried as she burst into their hotel room, deserting her luggage and flinging herself on the bed. Meredith laughed and joined her on the bed, laying her head back and staring up at the ceiling.

'It really is,' she agreed with a sigh. The journey hadn't been that long but they were relieved to finally be here after weeks of looking forward to it, and not only that, but Meredith had been up till 4am finishing her paper. The pair lay there for a while, listening to the movements of their college roommates in the room next door. Holly and Rachel had decided to room up, and Meredith hadn't minded sharing with Carrie. 'I'm starving,' Meredith said, placing one hand on her rumbling stomach.

'Let's eat,' Carrie said, jumping off the bed and picking her coat up off the floor.

'I'm not that hungry,' Meredith replied with a yawn, 'let's sleep. Sleep is good.'

'Get up, you lazy thing. You can sleep anytime. It's not everyday you're in New York at Christmas,' Carrie uttered, grabbing Meredith by the wrists and pulling her off the bed, and out the door.

'No, please!' Meredith begged between fits of giggles. She reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled out of the door, grabbing her coat on the way.

Standing on the bustling streets, Meredith and Carrie almost clung to one another as crowds of people pushed their way past them. The city was huge, and Meredith and Carrie had no idea where to begin looking for a place to eat. Meredith suddenly found herself being yanked towards the road, and she laughed as she watched Carrie attempt to hail a cab.

Soon enough, a yellow cab pulled up beside them and they jumped in. Carrie turned to the Asian driver and questioned him about the best place to eat in New York. 'Well, what are you in the mood for?' he asked. 'Chinese?' Meredith pulled a face and shook her head. She hated Chinese food. 'No? Italian?'

'Italian could be good,' Carrie said.

'Ok then, I'll take you to Mama Rosa's, the best Italian restaurant this side of Manhattan.'

Carrie and Meredith smiled and sat back as the taxi weaved its way through the traffic. 'This is all very _Sex and the City_, you know,' Meredith said, laughing.

'Well, I am a Carrie!' her friend replied. They chatted and giggled for the duration of the journey until they felt the cab pull over and saw the bright lights of their recommended restaurant before them. Jumping out, they handed the driver his money and thanked him.

A few hours later and they were walking down the road, away from the restaurant, their stomachs full of pizza and pasta and discussing all of the sites they were going to visit. Meredith thought that they should visit Staten Island first, but Carrie disagreed and said they should definitely go to Central Park before they did anything else. In the end, Meredith let her friend have her way and they pulled out their tourist guide, checking it before heading in the right direction.

They reached a crossing and stepped out into the road absent-mindedly, ahead of the dozen other pedestrians that were also using the crossing. 'Carrie!' Meredith yelled, and her world went into slow motion. In a flash of yellow, Meredith froze, unable to move as she watched her friend flung across the bonnet of a cab, before rolling back off and hitting the ground. Surrounding vehicles screeched to a halt and there was a loud commotion as people around her flew to the scene, getting on their knees and circling her friend.

Meredith fought her way through the crowds, pushing past to find Carrie sitting, fully conscious, her hand holding her head up. Her face was scratched, with the odd trickle of blood, but apart from that, she appeared unhurt.

'Oh my God, Carrie!' Meredith cried, falling to her knees in front of her friend. 'Are you ok?'

'I just got hit by a car, of course I'm not ok!' Carrie replied with a frown. 'But I'll live, if that's what you mean,' she added, her frown softening into a half smile. By now, the taxi driver had gotten out of the car and pushed his way through the crowds. Meredith tried to talk to him and discovered that he really didn't speak much English. After a few minutes she had managed to get his name and had taken down the registration of the vehicle. By the time she was done and had returned to Carrie, the ambulance had arrived, as had the police.

Carrie was loaded into the ambulance, even though she insisted she was fine. Meredith hopped in after her and the sirens blared as the ambulance made its way through the crowds of traffic towards the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, Carrie and Meredith weren't waiting long before a nurse attended to them. She took Carrie's details and informed her that she would probably need a CT because she had hit her head and she would need stitches in the cut on her forehead, both of which required the attention of a surgeon, who she said was on their way down to the ER.

After a few minutes the curtain was pulled back by the surgeon, who was absent-mindedly reading Carrie's chart. 'Good afternoon, I'm Dr Shepherd,' he said without focusing his attention on his patient or her friend.

Meredith looked up and her jaw dropped. It was _him_, her handsome stranger in the elevator. What the hell was he doing in New York?

He walked over to the bed where Carrie was lying and took his penlight out. He flashed the light into each of her eyes before popping it back into his pocket and pulling out a pen, marking something on her chart. 'Right,' he said, finally looking up at his patient. 'We'll need to get you upstairs for a…' he stopped as his gaze moved to the blonde girl sitting in the chair next to the bed. He lost his trail of thought, shocked at the person sitting before him. '…CT,' he finished finally, snapping the chart shut and moving to the end of the bed, sliding it into its tray.

Dr Shepherd looked at his patient, and quickly informed her that he would be back in ten minutes to take her up to CT. He glanced at Meredith and flashed her the dazzling smile she remembered from all those months ago, before vanishing behind the curtain.


	4. Dr Shepherd

'Wow,' began Carrie. 'I know I hit my head and all, but it wasn't just me who noticed all those male hormones come flying your way, was it?'

Meredith laughed at her friend, shoving her gently on the arm and telling her not to be so ridiculous. Inside, her stomach squirmed. She couldn't believe that he was here, of all places. She felt a bit cheated if she was honest with herself. Meredith had prided herself on the fact that she hadn't gone back to the hospital where her mother worked because she was a strong, independent woman and she had enough willpower not to return there and 'accidentally' bump into the handsome stranger from the elevator. And all this time, he'd been in New York.

Finally, a nurse came to take Carrie up to CT. 'You can't come, I'm afraid,' she informed Meredith.

'That's ok,' Meredith replied as Carrie grabbed her hand anxiously. 'I'll just get some coffee, and I'll be right here when you get back,' she said, turning to her friend, squeezing her hand reassuringly, before letting it go and waving as Carrie was wheeled towards the elevator.

Meredith began walking down the corridor towards a coffee machine she'd seen on the way in, digging through her bag as she walked looking for her wallet. She wasn't watching where she was going and she came to a grinding halt when she bumped into a doctor, who'd been strolling inattentively, balancing a patient's chart, which he was reading, in one hand, and holding a steaming cup in the other.

'Crap,' he shouted as the cups contents went flying into the air, and landed on him, scalding his hand. He looked up angrily and opened his mouth to tell the clumsy person who had just ran into him to mind where they were going when he noticed who it was.

Meredith was kneeling on the floor by now, holding up pieces of paper that had fallen from the chart and letting the brown liquid drip off them. 'Ugh,' she said quietly, looking up to return them to the doctor she had just collided with. And then she realised who it was.

The doctor's frown turned into a smile, and he reached out his hand to pull her up. 'So,' he began, 'first you stare at me, then you stalk me in my workplace and now, now you're causing me bodily harm. I really should file for a restraining order.'

'Oh, ha ha,' she replied sarcastically. 'Maybe if you watched where you were going, you wouldn't be covered in coffee right now.'

'Where were you off to in such a hurry anyway, I was just heading up to CT for your friend,' he said inquisitively.

'Only to the coffee machine,' Meredith replied.

'That desperate for coffee, huh?'

'Something like that,' she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

'Well, seeing as you spilled mine,' he started, grinning at the infuriated look on her face, 'maybe you should buy me another.'

'Buy your own, buster!' she said as they laughed together. They headed towards the coffee machine, where he bought them both a drink. He handed a cup of coffee to her, smiling at her as she took it. 'So what are you doing in New York, then?' Meredith asked.

'In case you hadn't noticed, I work here,' he replied smugly, taking a sip from his drink. He burned his tongue on the hot liquid, and Meredith laughed at him, covering her mouth with her free hand to stifle giggles. Trying to ignore the fact that he'd just made a fool of himself, he continued the conversation. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm on vacation, for Christmas,' she replied. 'You don't work at Boston General, then?'

'Nope,' he replied as they began to walk away from the coffee machine. 'I was just visiting for a week as part of my internship. There are some scary doctors at that hospital,' he said with a smile.

'You're telling me,' Meredith said. 'My mother is one of them.'

'Yeah?' he asked.

'Ellis Grey.'

'Seriously?'

'Believe me, I wouldn't joke about a thing like that.'

They laughed as they finished their coffee and Meredith flung her cup into the bin. 'Would you like to come up to CT?' he asked.

'The nurse said I wasn't allowed,' she replied.

'Yeah, well you're not really, but I might be able to pull a few strings. I am a doctor, you know,' he said with a wink.

'You're an intern!' Meredith said, laughing at him. He pretended to be offended and crossed his arms like a small child. 'Fine, I'll let you think you're all important and I'll come up to CT.'

She followed him down the hallway and her face erupted into a smile when she saw it. The elevator. 'Ah, familiar territory,' he said, grinning as he reached forward and pressed the button. The elevator doors swung open and they stepped in. Again, they were the only ones in there. A few moments of slightly awkward silence ensued before he turned to her. 'You know, I don't actually know your name,' he said.

Meredith laughed, and realised he was right. 'It's Meredith,' she replied, sticking out her hand to shake his.

He took her hand and shook it. 'I'm Dr Shepherd,' he said, causing Meredith to laugh once again, 'but I suppose I'll let you call me Derek,' he added as her eyes rolled.

Their laughter trailed off and Meredith looked up at the numbers on the elevator, watching as the light changed as they ascended. Derek gazed at her, and when she realised he was looking at her she returned his stare. She was about to make a comment about how rude it was to stare, but she was hooked. Their gaze was transfixed on each other for what seemed like an era, but was merely seconds. The ping of the elevator doors opening bought them back to earth and they stepped out, heading towards CT.

'You'll have to wait here,' he said as they reached the room. 'Hospital rules,' he added with an apologetic shrug.

'That's ok,' Meredith said, taking a seat.

Half an hour later, Meredith stood up to see a couple of nurses wheeling Carrie out of the CT room. 'Hey,' her friend called.

'Hi, how are you feeling?' Meredith asked.

'My head hurts,' Carrie said. 'A lot.'

Meredith turned to follow her friend back towards the elevator when she saw Derek coming out of the room Carrie had just emerged from. He called her name and she waited as he approached her.

'I've just been paged to the OR, so the nurse will explain the CT results to your friend and she'll have to stay in for a few nights,' he explained. There was a pause for a moment and Meredith smiled at him kindly as their eyes met once again. 'Anyway,' he continued, running a hand through his unruly hair nervously, 'I was just wondering if you'd like a tour of New York, from a true New Yorker of course.'

Meredith smiled. 'I'd like that,' she replied.

'Do you have plans for tonight?'

'Well I did, but then my friend went and walked in front of a car.'

The conversation continued somewhat awkwardly, but finally all details were exchanged and Derek agreed to meet her outside her hotel at eight. Meredith turned and headed towards the elevator, alone this time as Derek headed off in the opposite direction.


	5. The Date

Derek glanced quickly at his watch as he reached the entrance to the hotel. He inhaled deeply, relieved that he had five minutes to spare. He walked into the lobby and wasn't quite sure where to put himself, so in true Derek style – according to his mother – he paced.

Meredith walked out of the bathroom of her hotel room barefoot. Shoes were the last part of her outfit of fitted jeans and a cashmere sweater. She sat on the edge of the bed, pushing the entire contents of her suitcase, which were now sprawled across the double bed, out of the way and slipped on a pair of pumps. Her stomach bubbled with nerves as she reached for her jacket and she punched herself in the stomach lightly, telling herself to stop being ridiculous. _It's not like it's a date or anything_, she thought.

She looked at the clock and noticed that she was late. Pushing her nerves to the back of her mind, Meredith flicked off the light and headed down towards the lobby.

Derek noticed Meredith before she noticed him. He walked towards her and as she looked up and saw him, she smiled. 'Hi,' he said, running a hand through his hair.

Meredith was glad to see he was as nervous as she was, and hoped that she was doing a better job than him at hiding it. 'Hey,' she replied. She was surprised at how different he looked, handsome even, and realised that she'd only ever seen him wearing scrubs. He was dressed casually, in chocolate cords, a white button down shirt and a burgundy sweater.

'Ok,' he began as they exited the hotel, 'I know I said I'd give you a tour, but to be honest, there is really only one place you can go at this time of year and at this time of night.'

'Oh,' said Meredith, raising her eyebrows with a smile, 'and where might that be?'

'You'll have to wait and see,' he replied coyly.

Wherever this place was, Meredith presumed it was pretty close as they were walking. The walk was comfortably quiet, with only the odd comment, but Meredith was desperate to know where they were going. 'So, are we almost there yet?' she asked.

'What are you, five?' Derek replied, laughing. Meredith rolled her eyes, before grinning as they turned the corner. 'Actually, we're here,' he said.

Meredith's eyes widened as she looked up at the biggest Christmas tree she'd ever seen, covered head to foot in fairy lights. Derek smiled at her reaction and grabbed her hand. 'Come on,' he said, 'I didn't bring you here to stare at a tree all night!'

'Then why did you bring me here?' Meredith inquired as they walked past the tree.

'For this,' Derek replied, as she looked up and saw a mass of people.

'Ice skating?' she questioned.

'Yep, you can't come to New York at Christmas and not ice skate at the Rockefeller Centre,' he said, yanking her towards the ice rink.

Derek left Meredith standing in awe, gazing at the crowds of people who were circulating the ice rink as he went to get their skates. He handed Meredith a pair and proceeded to put his on. As he finished tying his, Derek noticed Meredith still struggling with her first boot. 'Want some help?' he asked, kneeling down in front of her and tying the laces.

'I've never done this before,' Meredith said, giggling nervously as she pulled her hat down over her ears and put on her gloves. Derek smiled as he finished fastening her skates, looking up at her and smiling as their gazes once again locked. He could see apprehension in her eyes, but most of all he could see passion and excitement, and it made his pulse race.

'You're going to be fine,' he said reassuringly, standing up and taking both of her hands in his. They hobbled towards the rink, laughing as they did and Derek walked onto the ice first. Meredith gripped his hands tightly as she stepped up.

He loved how she was putting so much trust in him and he could see the anxiety on her face. He eased away from her and let go of her hands, allowing Meredith to get her own balance, but she didn't and she slipped forwards and into him. He reached for her waist quickly, supporting her weight and pulling her towards him. 'I'm ok,' she said promptly after regaining her balance.

'Sure? Because we can just go somewhere else if you don't like this.'

'Of course I'm sure,' she replied, stepping back a little and placing a gloved hand into his. Slowly but surely she got the hang of it and they spent the next hour, but what seemed like only moments to them, circling the ice rink, immersed completely in each other and laughing constantly.

'Ok, so you're not quite at Olympic level, but you're getting there,' Derek said, chuckling as he stepped off the ice and turned to help Meredith.

'Funny!' she replied sardonically, but with a smile. They shuffled towards a nearby bench and began to untie their ice skates. Once their shoes were back on, they left the ice rink and Derek led them back towards the busy road, hailing a cab. 'Where are we going now?' Meredith asked as Derek opened the door, and gesturing for Meredith to climb in.

'You'll soon see,' he replied, 'it's only a couple of blocks from here,' Derek added, handing the driver a note, so as Meredith didn't know where they were going. The driver smiled and handed the piece of paper back to Derek, before setting off.

Less than five minutes later, and the taxi pulled to a stop. Derek paid the taxi driver and stepped out, reaching out his hand for Meredith, which she took. She stepped onto a bustling street, alive with lights and splashes of red and gold, and beautiful smells of fresh food. It was beautiful, and she was surprised at how close it was to where they'd just been. 'Oh my God, Derek, where are we?' she asked.

'Welcome to Chinatown, Meredith,' he replied, obviously proud of his idea to bring her here. He took her hand once more, and pulled her towards a small Chinese restaurant in the middle of the street.

'You hungry?' he asked, turning to face her as they reached the entrance. Meredith smiled and nodded, allowing him to lead her into the restaurant, not having the heart to tell him that she couldn't stand Chinese food.

Half an hour later, and they were sitting quietly in the small restaurant. The single room was dimly lit and had few customers. Meredith sat across from Derek at a small candlelit table in the corner. Their meal had just arrived and she picked at the food she ordered, frequently taking sips of water as Derek ate his.

'So Meredith, what do you do when you're not on vacation in New York or visiting your mother at the hospital?' Derek asked when his meal was almost finished.

Meredith, realising he was now looking at her still almost full plate, took a bite of the food and swallowed it without grimacing, picking up her glass of wine to wash the taste away. 'I'm at college,' she explained, replacing the glass. 'Dartmouth.'

'Impressive,' he said, smiling.

'Yeah, I'm doing pre-med, actually,' she replied.

'Ah, following your mother's footsteps?'

'Definitely not,' she said firmly, 'I could never fill those shoes, and I don't want to, either.'

Derek laughed but changed the subject, not wanting to talk about medicine over dinner. The meal continued and their conversation was light and comfortable as they learned new things about one another. At the end of the meal, they left the restaurant and walked down the street, hand in hand, exploring the late night market stalls and enjoying the atmosphere.

Finally, Derek hailed another cab and they climbed in, heading back to Meredith's hotel. She yawned as she sat next to him, leaning slightly into him for warmth. As they reached the hotel, they stepped out and the cab waited as Derek escorted Meredith into the lobby.

She turned to him as they reached the elevator and smiled. 'Thank you, Derek, I had an amazing time tonight.'

'You did?'

'Yeah, it was fun. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much.'

'Well we'll have to go out again some other time, there's still so much more of New York left to see.'

'Definitely,' she agreed.

'But next time we won't go to Chinatown, because then you might actually get to eat something you like,' he said, smiling as her face turned from a smile to a look of surprise.

'I'm sorry,' she said quietly. 'I didn't have to heart to tell you.'

'It's ok,' he said, assuring her that he wasn't really offended.

As their laughs subsided, they became more serious, once again locking stares. It was now or never. Derek smiled at Meredith and reached one hand up to stroke her face softly. She edged closer to him, placing a hand on his chest and he leaned down, kissing her gently, delighting in how soft her lips were against his. Derek pulled away, not wanting to ruin the moment or their evening and he looked at Meredith. She smiled at him before letting her hand drop back to her side, stepping back as the elevator doors slid open.

Derek watched her step into the elevator and press the button. 'I'll see you tomorrow, at the hospital,' he called as the doors began to close.

Meredith smiled, raising a hand in a waving gesture before the doors separated them. _Ok, so it was definitely a date_, she thought as she remembered back to the butterflies she'd felt before she had left her hotel room.


	6. Second Date?

Sorry guys, I know it's been a while since I updated. A lot has happened lately; holidays, exam results, uni, etc. Anyway… read, enjoy, review.

'I'm not calling them, they'll only worry,' Carrie argued.

Meredith sat on the edge of the hospital bed, trying unsuccessfully to get her friend to call her parents. 'Ok,' she relented with a shrug as a nurse came into the room and began fiddling with tubes, writing everything down in Carrie's chart as she went along.

'Everything looks good,' she said, smiling kindly, 'you can go home today.'

'Great,' sighed Carrie.

'You just have a few forms to fill out, and if you go to the front desk,' she said, looking at Meredith, 'they'll tell you what you need to do.'

'Thank you,' Meredith replied, jumping off the bed and following the nurse out of the room, heading towards the nurses station.

Meredith had decided that it would be best if she didn't tell Carrie that she had gone on a date with her doctor, mostly because of the questions that she just couldn't face answering. Besides, Meredith convinced herself, she liked that it was just the two of them, and that nobody else knew. It made it unspoiled, special even.

She took the clipboard off the nurse, who had pointed out all of the areas that needed to be filled in. Meredith turned away and proceeded towards a row of chairs, reading the forms as she did.

'Hey,' came a familiar voice. Meredith looked up, surprised to see that she'd almost bumped in to Derek. Again. She smiled up at him, an action that was reciprocated and she pulled the clipboard into her chest. 'You know, you really should watch where you're going,' he said, laughing.

'So should you,' she replied, mock-defensively.

Derek smiled, and as Meredith sat down, he joined her. 'Forms, huh?'

'Yeah, Carrie is being discharged today.'

A comfortable silence fell between them as Meredith began to fill out the forms. Derek took a sip of his coffee and watched her. He loved the way her hair fell around her face, almost hiding her features from view. He wanted desperately to reach across and tuck the strands behind her ear, but he restrained, considering it slightly inappropriate.

'Did you have a good time last night?' he asked as she looked up and noticed that he was staring at her.

'I did,' she said with a smile.

'That's because I'm such a good tour guide,' he replied with a mischievous smile.

'Yeah,' Meredith said, smiling sarcastically, 'all you needed was a big red open-top bus and it would have been perfect.'

Derek laughed as Meredith placed her pen down on the clipboard. She looked up at his soft features, taking in the angles of his face before locking her gaze with his. He smiled gently, lifting his hand and stroking her hair behind her ear, unable to resist this time.

'Do you have any plans for tonight?' he asked, speaking quietly as the background noise drowned out, leaving them together in their own world.

Meredith shook her head. 'Carrie is determined to see the Statue of Liberty today, but otherwise we don't have anything planned for this evening.'

'You should probably spend some time with your friend, then, seeing as she nearly died and all,' he added with a smirk, although Meredith could see disappointment in his eyes.

'Well,' began Meredith, picking up the pen and relentlessly clicking it on and off nervously, 'I guess she could spend the night with our other friends. We haven't seen them much since we got here.'

'Ok,' Derek replied as they were bought back to reality by the loud beeping of his pager. 'Crap, I have to go,' he said, obviously affronted by the interruption. 'I'll pick you up around nine?'

Meredith smiled, standing up as he did. 'Ok,' she agreed. Derek reached up, placing his palm on her face and stroking her chin softly with his thumb. Once more, time seemed to stand still, but quickly dissipated as his pager began to beep loudly yet again.

'I really have to go,' he said, dropping his hand and looking down at his pager before heading off down the corridor.

Returning to her friend, Meredith found her already dressed and rummaging through her handbag for a hairbrush.

'What took you so long?' Carrie asked, finding the brush and running it through her hair.

'Uh… there were a lot of forms to fill in,' she said, relieved to have come up with an excuse so quickly.

'Oh, right,' she responded, pulling on her coat. 'Well, I'm ready to go when you are.'

'Great,' Meredith replied. 'Let's go.'

'Ha ha, look at this!' Carrie cried as they sauntered lazily around the gift shop. Meredith was somewhat disappointed with their trip to the Statue of Liberty and couldn't help but think it might have been more fun had she had Derek as her tour guide, and not _Melvin_, the overweight middle-aged tour guide with sweat patches. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Carrie, who shoved a miniature plastic figurine of the Statue under her nose, before dashing off and returning moments later with a green pointy crown on her head. Meredith laughed, but kept a hold of the figurine, paying for it and waiting patiently at the exit while Carrie decided what gifts she was getting.

As they walked back towards the hotel, Meredith wondered how she was going to tell Carrie that she was going out that night. She racked her brains for an excuse, as she was not going to endure the giggles and ridicule as she admitted she was seeing a guy. She didn't think Carrie would believe her anyway.

Meredith decided that she would wait until they got back to the hotel before she told Carrie anything, which was just as well as Holly and Rachel had plans. After asking Carrie if she was feeling all right for what seemed like the thousandth time, Holly invited them to spend the evening with her and Rachel – they were going to Broadway. Seeing the reaction on Carrie's face, Meredith decided this was the perfect opportunity. She decided that she would tell them she would go, and then at the last minute would pretend to feel ill, thus getting out of going.

'Oh, come on, Mer,' Carrie said later that evening, trying persistently to persuade her friend to come.

Meredith feigned a heavy sigh, placing a hand on her head. 'I'd love to, Carrie,' she said, rubbing her temple, 'but my head is killing me. I don't think I could sit and listen to all that singing.'

'But you have to come!' Carrie replied insistently. 'Take an aspirin or something.'

'I already did,' Meredith lied. 'I think I just need to get a good nights sleep.'

'Fine,' Carrie said somewhat dejectedly as she reached for her purse. 'Call me if you need anything,' she added.

There was a knock on the door and Carrie made her way towards it, pausing first to frown at her friend. 'I will,' Meredith replied. 'You be careful, too. And call me if _you_ need anything,' she added.

'Ok,' Carrie said, smiling as she reached for the door and left.

Meredith lay on the bed for almost five minutes to make sure that Carrie didn't come back for some reason and find her getting ready to go out. 'Crap,' she muttered under her breath as she glanced at the clock and realised that she only had twenty minutes before Derek was meeting her, twenty five if she was to be fashionably late.

Climbing out of the shower, Meredith wrapped a towel around her and started delving around inside her suitcase. Five minutes later she was dressed, finally settling on a pair of smart jeans and a button down shirt. She dried her hair quickly and was ready as the clock read 9:07pm. Meredith reached for her jacket, slipping it on and grabbing her purse, before heading down the hallway towards the elevator. As she pressed the button and waited for the doors to close, Meredith wondered where Derek might take her. She didn't think anything could top last night, but she hoped she was wrong. She stepped outside the elevator, knowing that Derek would probably be waiting as she was now a little more than fashionably late.

Walking into the foyer, Meredith didn't see Derek, but then again, she didn't see him last time. It was he who had approached her. She stood just inside the entrance, not wanting to miss him in the crowds of people who were wandering in and out of the hotel.

Meredith waited for an hour, the small green figurine she'd bought earlier wrapped tightly inside her palm, but there was no sign of Derek anywhere.


End file.
